Dota 2: The International 2018 Betting Guide, Odds and Best Sites

by Rick Rockwell
on August 15, 2018

10

Minute Read

On August 15th, the entire eSports industry will tune in to watch the world’s largest gaming tournament – The International. This annual Dota 2 event is the 8th installment of one of the most fascinating eSports phenomenon in the world. Hosted by Valve Corporation, the company that developed and released this popular game back in 2013, TI8 will have over $24.3 million dollars in prizes with the winner of this tournament earning over $10 million.

TL;DR

TI8 Betting Recap

The annual eSports tournament will be held at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This will mark the first time that The International wasn’t held in Seattle, Washington, due to the Key Arena being under construction.

Dota 2: TI8 Tournament Details

Dota 2 is a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) game that allows numerous players across multiple teams to compete against each other. Not only does Dota 2 require in-depth strategies for competition, it also requires strategies for creating the best team possible.

The International is like the Super Bowl for the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), which holds numerous events throughout the world in order for Dota 2 teams to earn points, win money, and eventually a compete for a spot in this massive tournament. The 2018 edition of the tournament allowed the Top 8 teams in the DPC to earn automatic invites to The International.

Russia Virtus.pro

China PSG.LGD

European Union Team Liquid

European Union Team Secret

Philippines Mineski

China Vici Gaming

China Newbee

China VGJ.Thunder

From there, another 10 teams were able to qualify for The International through regional tournaments:

China Team Serenity

China Invictus Gaming

Russia Winstrike Team

European Union OG

United States VGJ.Storm

United States Evil Geniuses

United States OpTic Gaming

Brazil Pain Gaming

Malaysia Fnatic

Philippines TNC Predator

On August 15th, these 18 teams will be placed into 2 groups where they will compete in a best of 2, round robin format. The team who finishes in last place for each group will be eliminated from the tournament.

Once the remaining 16 teams are finalized, they will then move on to the Main Event portion of the tournament where it’s a best of three, double elimination format that begins on August 20th. The top 4 teams from each group will be placed in the Upper Bracket of the Main Event portion of the tournament and the remaining 8 teams will be placed in the Lower Bracket.

When a team loses in the Upper Bracket, they will go down to the Lower Bracket during each respective round. However, when a team loses in the Lower Bracket, their tournament is over. Eventually, the winner of the Upper Bracket will play the winner of the Lower Bracket to see which team wins The International 2018 tournament and a cool $10 million.

Here are the sites we recommend for betting on The International 2018.
For US:

The Favorites to Win The International 2018

According to Bovada, the following teams are odds on favorite to win The International 2018 tournament:

Team Liquid (+300)

Originally founded in 2000, and based out of the Netherlands, Team Liquid is the defending champions and they are poised to possibly become the first eSports team to win this prestigious tournament for a second time. This multi-genre, multi-game eSports organization has proven to be one of the best in the world in 2018. Although they have had some consistency issues this year, Team Liquid can win any tournament if they’re in top form.

Coming into TI8, Team Liquid finished second in the Team Standings for the DPC. Led by the play of Kurky and Miracle, Team Liquid is considered by many fans and pundits as the team to beat in this year’s tournament.

Virtus.Pro (+300)

Virtus.Pro dominated the DPC this season and led the Team Standings in points (12,372) and earnings ($2.33 million). They won several Major and Minor tournaments and even orchestrated a mid-season trade, which would’ve crippled inferior teams. But, VP didn’t break stride at all.

Last year, VP finished 5th – 6th at The International for the second time since 2014. You can bet that this Russian based eSports organization will have their Dota 2 team ready to go for this year’s TI8. With their remarkable consistency throughout the DPC, and stellar performances by players like RAMZES666, this team is coming into the TI8 hungry and ready to claim the Dota 2 throne.

PSG.LGD +300

The Chinese based organization, PSG.LGD, finished 3rd in the DPC and has really come on strong during the second half of the season. Previously known as LGD Gaming, they formed a partnership with Paris Saint-German and changed their name to PSG.LGD.

PSG.LGD has been around longer than Dota 2 and have competed throughout the world in many other gaming genres and tournaments. Within The International, they’ve placed as high as 3rd, but haven’t won a TI as of yet. Last year, they came in 4th and won $1.7 million.

Led by Fy, this team has a lot of experience and talent to take out both Virtus, Team Liquid, and any other team standing in their way of TI8 glory.

The Best Dota 2: TI8 Betting Value

After finishing 5th in the DPC, one would think that Mineski would’ve seen better odds for the TI8. Nevertheless, their +1400 provides us with some wonderful betting value. Originally based out of the Philippines, this eSports team has pulled off some shocking wins in 2018, including the Dota2 Asia Championship. However, their inconsistency can be troublesome at times and might hold them back from their true potential in the TI8.

Led by Mushi, and coached by 71, Mineski could definitely pull off an upset or two in The International and go deep into the tournament. This team of talented gamers should not be overlooked by any opponent.

The Longshot to Win The International 2018

Newbee at +2000 is my pick for the longshot team with the best chance of winning the tournament. Despite being ranked in the bottom half of the teams according to many oddsmakers, this is still the same squad that finished runner up to Team Liquid in last year’s TI7 tournament. So, they have plenty of talent, poise and experience to win several matchups.

The TI4 winners finished 7th this year in the DPC standings and failed to really capitalize on last year’s success. It’s almost like they had a TI7 hangover. Newbee did get revenge on Team Liquid earlier this year in a Major tournament and do have the confidence in knowing that they can beat them if they square off in TI8. This is the sleeper team to watch out for. They might not be the dark horse that other pundits are picking, but they definitely have the upside to make some serious noise at TI8.

Who Will Win The International 2018 Dota 2 Tournament?

If you follow the Dota 2 scene, specifically The International tournament, then you are well aware of the “East-West cycle.” For those that don’t know, this cycle represents the winners of the past 7 TI tournaments. In the odd years, a team from “the West” has won the TI. In the even years, a team from “the East” has won the TI. With this year being an even number, I’m sticking with the cycle and picking a team from the East especially since 1/3rd of the teams are from China. With that said, I’m going with the Chinese powerhouse of PSG.LGD.

Coming off a 4th place finish last year, I believe PSG.LGD will have learned from their mistakes last year and overpower their competition at the TI8. They are the strongest of the Chinese (the East) teams and they have all of the talent to win TI8. If for some reason this “East-West cycle” gets broken this year, then look for Team Liquid to repeat as champs.

The Best Dota 2: TI8 Betting Sites

For those of you looking to place your TI8 wagers, and don’t already have a favorite sports betting site, please review the following criteria before selecting a Dota 2: The International 2018 online betting site:

Make sure the betting site offers a wide variety of TI8 sports bets from tournament winners to several different props like longest game, shortest game, best player, etc. The more betting options you have, the better.

Choose a site that has multiple deposit and withdraw options. This way you can be sure that your preferred payment and withdraw method are offered. Also, make sure they offer top of the line security and protection before making any deposits.

Choose a site that has excellent customer service. You want an online sports betting site that is quick to help you when needed.

Last, but not least, make sure the online eSports betting site is smooth when navigating, simple to find different types of wagers bets and easy to place your desired bets. This includes reviewing both the desktop and mobile platforms before placing any TI8 wagers.